Clean Community Designation

To showcase the outstanding environmental work that is occurring across the Great Lakes Basin, the GLCCN is providing free promotional materials including an outdoor community sign for communities or organizations that have obtained one of the two “Great Lakes Clean Community” designations through 2016. Note that communities must go through the EcoScore process to be eligible. For more information about the signage program, please contact us.

What is a Great Lakes Clean Community?

The Great Lakes Clean Community designation is the recognition of a community's actions to promote ecologically-friendly and healthy initiatives that improve land and water quality for the benefit of their residents and wildlife. When we refer to "Ecological Health" in a community, we are referring to the natural and built environments interacting in such a way that ensures clean water, diverse habitat for wildlife, and aesthetic and recreational enjoyment for residents.

Designation Types

Great Lakes Clean Community – the community has fully implemented plans and programs to address the 12 indicators in the GLCCN EcoScore and are monitoring and tracking progress for each. These communities have received 100% of the total points possible for their EcoScore.

Outstanding Great Lakes Clean Community – We reserve this designation for a small number of communities. This indicates that the community has all the plans, programs, and monitoring measures in place and has achieved all the target goals for the 12 indicators. In other words, the community has not only received 100% of the total points available for their EcoScore, but has also achieved all targets for the indicators.

The designation levels are recognized by a group of Universities, Cities, Conservation Groups, and Associations that helped guide and approve the measures used to track ecological health of a community.